'All for Kayla' packs the house

DALTON -- The band was playing, the crowd was rocking and the Dalton gym was almost filled to capacity 30 minutes before a contest that, technically, didn't event count.

From the outset, though, it was clear that almost no other volleyball game could've had more meaning.

Dalton and Orrville kicked off the season by holding "All for Kayla," a benefit game for Kayla Munsey, 14. Munsey, whose family lives in Orrville, is a freshman at Dalton who was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer in early July. Friday's contest served both as a fundraiser and early warmup for a pair of squads that are expected to be among the best in the area in this fall. The Red Riders won 25-16, 25-20, 25-14, but the biggest number of the night was $10,000 -- the amount of money raised from donations, concessions, basket raffles and T-shirt sales.

"Volleyball was the second purpose here," said Dalton athletic director John Gregory. "It's nice to see the communities come together for something great. There aren't too many scrimmages where you're going to pull in 800 people."

Dalton's pep band played between the JV and varsity matches and a half-hour before the varsity squads took the floor, the event had the atmosphere of a district final. After the starting lineups were announced, Munsey climbed up the referee stand to blow the whistle and signal the start of the match. Before she did, though, she received a standing ovation.

"I was nervous, but it was overwhelming and it was crazy," said Munsey, who underwent surgery on July 28 to remove the tumor, her lymph nodes, her gallbladder and a third of her liver.

Munsey said the entire evening was unforgettable, but what will stick with her the most was standing at the top of the referee stand.

"I'll remember blowing the whistle and seeing everybody that came out and supported me for this," she said.

Once the game got underway, the Riders were just a step ahead of the Bulldogs. Orrville used a balanced offensive attack and active back row attack to go on a roll at the end of the first set and then lead for most of the second and third sets.

"The girls almost forgot it was a scrimmage," said Dalton coach Allison Hostetler, who added that it may be the biggest home crowd the Bulldogs have all year -- and it was for an exhibition.

"With all these people here, it almost got into their heads," she said, "but it was just amazing. To see somebody so young have to go through this, it's awesome to see the community rally around and pull their support together."

"It was exciting and I love playing in that atmosphere," said Dalton senior captain Brooke Kandel. "We were happy that we had a great turnout and we were just excited to play for Kayla."

After the conclusion of the scrimmage, Munsey came to the center of the court and Hostetler addressed the crowd.

"It's great to see two teams that may be rivals on the court come together for this great cause for Kayla," she said. "Her love for the game is obvious. Even though this year all she'll be able to do is sit on the bench, next year we'll see her on the court."

Then she turned to Munsey and added, "Kayla, this year we'll playing for you."

Orrville coach Whitney Dalessandro created "All for Kayla" shortly after Munsey's diagnosis, but had no idea at the time that the event would receive such an outpouring of support.

There was not only support from the Dalton and Orrville communities, as well as players in attedance from neighboring schools at Waynedale, Smithville and Central Christian, but there were also community members on hand that had no connection to volleyball -- they were simply there for Munsey.

Dalessandro said the most uplifting moment of the night was Munsey on the referee stand, receiving an ovation from everyone on hand.

"I got pretty emotional then," she said. "In that moment, nothing was sad today. It was all happy and in the moment for her."

Andrew Vogel can be reached at 330-287-1624 or avogel@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andvogel.